In This Article: What dashboards are in Compass and how they differ from static reports, how the Dashboards tab is organized, how to navigate and interact with the dashboard canvas, which chart types are available and when to use each, how to read a KPI tile, and how dashboards connect to your My Compass homepage through Business Spotlight.
What Are Dashboards?
Dashboards in Compass are live, interactive data visualizations built directly from your organization's reporting data. Each dashboard is a canvas of charts, KPI tiles, and tables that refresh automatically — giving your team a continuous view of the metrics that drive decisions. Unlike a PDF report or a static export, a Compass dashboard reflects current data every time it's opened, with no manual refresh required.
The Dashboards tab is one of the most actively used areas of Compass for finance and operations teams. You'll open it daily to check performance, share findings with stakeholders, and monitor key figures without waiting for a reporting cycle to close.
Every chart shows a refresh timestamp. Data updates automatically — you're never looking at a snapshot that's days old.
Hover over chart elements for exact values. Toggle between Chart and Table view on any tile. The data is there to explore, not just read.
Share a dashboard directly from the canvas. Recipients see the same live data you do — no export, no attachment, no version drift.
Favorite any dashboard to pin it to Business Spotlight on My Compass — your key metrics visible the moment you log in, without navigating anywhere.
The Dashboards Tab — Your Library
Selecting Dashboards in the top navigation opens your dashboard library — every dashboard you've created or that has been shared with you. New users will see an empty library with a prompt to explore a sample dashboard or create their first one.
The library defaults to the All view. Switching to Favorites narrows it to dashboards you've starred. The filter pills — Created by me, Shared with me, Updated this week, Updated in 24h — can be stacked, so you can quickly isolate, for example, dashboards shared with you that were refreshed in the past day. The search icon and list/grid toggle in the top right let you switch between a compact list and the thumbnail card view.
Each card shows a live thumbnail of the dashboard's current content, the last-updated date, and the owner's name. The three-dot menu on any card lets you share or delete it. Click View to open the full canvas.
As dashboards accumulate, the filter pills do the heavy lifting. Get into the habit of starring dashboards you check daily — it takes one click and pays off every morning when Business Spotlight loads your key metrics automatically on My Compass.
The Dashboard Canvas
Opening a dashboard takes you to its canvas — the workspace where all charts and KPI tiles are arranged. In Preview mode (the default for viewers), you can interact with charts: hover for exact values, toggle Chart vs. Table view, and page through multi-page charts. The layout is locked in this mode. Dashboard owners switch to Edit mode via the button in the top right to rearrange, resize, and add new charts.
The canvas is free-form, not grid-locked. Charts can be dragged to any position and resized by pulling their corner handles. This matters practically: a KPI tile you glance at quickly can stay small in a corner, while a detailed revenue trend chart might span the full width. You're building a layout for how your team actually reads a page — not fitting data into a rigid template.
The Metrics panel on the left is how you add charts. Use the Chart type and Financial area dropdowns at the top to filter the list, then click any metric to add it to the canvas. Each tile has its own three-dot menu for per-chart actions. When you're done building, Save preserves a draft visible only to you; Publish pushes the current state to everyone the dashboard has been shared with.
Chart Types — Choosing the Right Visual
The Metrics panel offers a wide range of chart types, filterable by Chart type and Financial area. Rather than picking by name, it helps to think in terms of what you're trying to communicate. The five groups below cover all available types and give you a decision framework for choosing well.
Use when: Comparing values across discrete categories side by side — brands, channels, regions, or departments. Grouped and Stacked add a second dimension for sub-category breakdown.
Use when: Showing movement across time periods — revenue trajectory, rolling averages, or forecasts vs. actuals. Multiline plots several series simultaneously; Combo overlays a bar and a line on the same axis.
Use when: Showing what percentage each category represents of a total. Treemap and Sunburst handle hierarchical data — useful when a category breaks into subcategories. Keep Pie to 5–6 segments maximum.
Use when: Showing how a value builds up or breaks down — variance bridges, budget-to-actual walk, or cash flow movement. Waterfall Bridge connects two waterfall charts; Channel shows a range band around a central line.
Use when: A single headline metric is the whole point — actuals with a comparison and variance. Card is the flat KPI tile; Gauge adds a visual dial showing progress toward a target. See the KPI Tiles section below for how to read these.
Start with the question you're answering: "How much?" → Single Value. "Compared to what?" → Comparison. "Over time?" → Trend. "What share?" → Composition. "How did we get here?" → Change & Flow.
If a chart type or metric you need isn't in the Metrics panel, use the Request new chart type link at the bottom of the panel. This submits a request to the Compass team without leaving the canvas.
Reading KPI Tiles
KPI tiles pack a lot of information into a small space. Understanding each element helps you read them at a glance and spot issues without opening a full report.
Dashboards and Business Spotlight
The Business Spotlight section on your My Compass homepage is driven by your favorited dashboards. Starring a dashboard makes it available to display in Spotlight — so your most important metrics are visible the moment you open Compass, without navigating to the Dashboards tab first.
To set your spotlight: open any dashboard, click the star icon to favorite it, then navigate to My Compass. Business Spotlight displays a live, scrollable preview of that dashboard. You can hover over charts for exact values directly in the preview, or click Explore Dashboard to open the full canvas. If you've favorited multiple dashboards, Compass surfaces the most recently updated one by default.
The Report Updates list directly below Business Spotlight shows all dashboards and requests shared with you or created by you — displaying owner, type, and last-updated timestamp. This is the fastest way to see which dashboards have new data without opening each one.
Ownership and Access
Every dashboard has a single owner — the person who created it. Ownership determines which actions are available. If you need a modified version of a shared dashboard for your own use, creating a new dashboard is the right path — article 2.2 covers that in full.
- Build and edit canvas layout
- Add and remove chart tiles
- Share with colleagues
- Save drafts and publish
- Delete the dashboard
- View and interact with charts
- Toggle Chart / Table view
- Hover for exact data values
- Favorite to Business Spotlight
- Cannot edit layout or metrics
First time on the canvas? If your dashboard shows "Your Dashboard is being Prepared," use Explore sample dashboard to walk through the canvas and chart types with demo data while your live data is being connected. Sample data is clearly labeled and won't affect your actual reporting.
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